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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_003E_01CE5D8C.4D732740 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This evening was not planned as a swift watch for me as I believed that = the owner of the farmhouse would be home to do the reporting. At the = last minute I decided to check it out which proved to be a good move as = there was no-one else there at the time. I arrived at 8:10 which was far = too early given the conditions - nothing happened for a very long time. = It was a real spring evening, 18 C with 50% cloud cover and a light 5 km = breeze from the NW. Lots of bugs but little to keep me amused. A few = swifts and barn swallows were circling very high up and clearly enjoying = themselves. I had parked in front of an open barn door and for a long while my = amusement was had by a couple of Barn Swallows swooping right round the = car as they flew in and out of the door on their way to their nest. 8:45 a lone swift entered the chimney , the others were too busy = feeding to bother, By 9:00 there were still only 6 birds in the circuit. 9:10 3 more decided to drop in and then a fairly slow procession began, = completely unlike the frenetic few minutes of Monday. I had a good view of the chimney from the centre of the lawn and could = clearly see that some process in the chimney was holding things up. = Several times 3 or 4 swifts that had begun to enter clearly stopped so = abruptly that they actually bumped into each other just a foot or two = above the chimney. It looked as if some other swifts were in the way. = That would continue for a while as the group did more circuits and then = several would enter rapidly until another jam occurred and repeat the = process. Occasionally a swift would emerge from the chimney as others = were trying to enter, confusing the process and my counting. The last one entered at 9:27 and there had been an almost continuous = process up to that point. It was very dark by then and I believe this = entry was far longer than normal.=20 I was very surprised to total my counts and see the numbers, because at = no time was there a large group circling the chimney, they just kept = coming. There were lots of bugs and I was well bitten for my efforts John Belbin - Hantsport ------=_NextPart_000_003E_01CE5D8C.4D732740 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dwindows-1252" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 9.00.8112.16484"> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>This evening was not planned as a swift = watch for=20 me as I believed that the owner of the farmhouse would be home to do the = reporting. At the last minute I decided to check it out which proved to = be a=20 good move as there was no-one else there at the time. I arrived at 8:10 = which=20 was far too early given the conditions - nothing happened for a very = long time.=20 It was a real spring evening, 18 C with 50% cloud cover and a light 5 km = breeze=20 from the NW. Lots of bugs but little to keep me amused. A few = swifts and=20 barn swallows were circling very high up and clearly enjoying=20 themselves.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial> I had parked in front of an open = barn door=20 and for a long while my amusement was had by a couple of Barn Swallows = swooping=20 right round the car as they flew in and out of the door on their = way to=20 their nest.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial> 8:45 a lone swift entered the = chimney , the=20 others were too busy feeding to bother,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>By 9:00 there were still only 6 birds = in the=20 circuit.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>9:10 3 more decided to drop in and then = a fairly=20 slow procession began, completely unlike the frenetic few minutes of=20 Monday.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial> I had a good view of the chimney = from the=20 centre of the lawn and could clearly see that some process in the = chimney was=20 holding things up. Several times 3 or 4 swifts that had begun to enter = clearly=20 stopped so abruptly that they actually bumped into each other just a = foot or two=20 above the chimney. It looked as if some other swifts were in the = way. That=20 would continue for a while as the group did more circuits and then = several would=20 enter rapidly until another jam occurred and repeat the process. = Occasionally a=20 swift would emerge from the chimney as others were trying to enter, = confusing=20 the process and my counting.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>The last one entered at 9:27 and there = had been an=20 almost continuous process up to that point. It was very dark by then and = I=20 believe this entry was far longer than normal. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>I was very surprised to total my counts = and see the=20 numbers, because at no time was there a large group circling the = chimney, they=20 just kept coming. There were lots of bugs and I was well bitten for my=20 efforts</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial> John Belbin -=20 Hantsport</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_003E_01CE5D8C.4D732740--
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